Misery Loves Company
by Singer1108
Summary: Rukia catches Ichigo in an unforgivable act, and runs away from him. Will Ichigo be able to repair the damage he's caused? Songfic: Misery Loves Company by Emilie Autumn.


_It's not the time  
It's not the place  
I'm just another pretty face  
So don't come any closer  
You're not the first  
You're not the last  
How many more?  
Don't even ask  
you're one more dead composer_

"I AM DONE, ICHIGO! YOU HEAR ME? DONE!"

"This isn't what it looks like! Rukia, please, don't do this! "

"WHY NOT? WHY SHOULD I STAY HERE WITH THE LIKES OF SOMEONE LIKE YOU?"

"But I didn't do anything! I'm the victim in all of this! This isn't my fault!"

"WHATEVER! I SAW YOU KISSING HER! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! I'M LEAVING!"

"No, wait! RUKIA!" __

Do I need you?  
Yes and no  
Do I want you?  
Maybe so  
You're getting warm  
You're getting warm  
You're getting warmer…  
Did you plan this all along  
Did you care if it was wrong  
Who's getting warmer now  
That I'm gone

Misery loves company  
And company loves more  
More loves everybody else  
But hell is others

"How could he…how could he do this to me, Renji? He was kissing her…and I…he…"

"I'm so sorry, Rukia. I never would have thought Ichigo was the kind of guy to do something like that." He said to me soothingly.

"I loved him...I fell in love with him and this is what I get in return? What did I do to deserve this?" I said as I cried into his shoulder.

Renji sighed and wrapped his arms around me loosely. "You didn't do anything wrong, Rukia. None of this is your fault, alright? Something about this whole situation doesn't seem right. I think you need to talk to him as soon as you're ready."

"Why the hell would I do that?" I said angrily, more tears falling from my eyes.

"Because if I know one thing about Ichigo it's that he wouldn't do anything to hurt you on purpose."

XXXXXX

"What the HELL did you do, Orihime? Because of that stunt, Rukia's gone!"

"Ichigo I-"

"Get out! You hear me? GET THE HELL OUT!"

I felt the anger rising within me, my blood boiling under my skin. Why the hell did this have to happen? And why did it have to happen when Rukia walked in? This is all Orihime's fault. If it weren't for her and her damn feelings, none of this would have happened! And Rukia….Rukia wouldn't have gone away.

"Damn it….Rukia….I…I'm so sorry…" I said, falling to my knees.

_I'm not for you  
You're not for me  
I'll kill you first  
You wait and see  
You devil undercover  
You're not a prince  
You're not a friend  
You're just a child  
And in the end  
You're one more selfish lover_

Two days. That's how long it's been since I've last heard Ichigo's voice. I kept replaying the memory over and over in my head, wishing each time I would forget it ever happened. But it did happen, and now I'm alone. I'm alone and miserable and there's nothing that can be said or done to help me. Such an act of betrayal can never be forgiven.

XXXX

"Let me in, damn it! I need to talk to Rukia now!"

"She doesn't want to see you! Tell me, why did you do it? Why did you do that to her?"

"I didn't do anything! It was all a huge misunderstanding! I didn't mean to hurt her!"

Renji froze, his eyes reflecting something I couldn't quite figure out before smiling suspiciously at me "…I knew it."

"Knew what?" I asked him.

"I knew you wouldn't do something like that on purpose, I even told her that. She's too damn stubborn to listen to me."

"Then if you knew I was innocent, why didn't you try harder to convince Rukia of that?"

"Because something like that needs to come from you, not me." He said calmly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Renji…please. I need you to let me see her." I begged.

"Just promise me one thing, Ichigo," he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Promise me you'll make her love you again."

I stared at him. "I promise."

_Do I need you?  
Yes and no  
Do I want you?  
Maybe so  
You're getting warm  
You're getting warm  
You're getting warmer oh  
Did you plan this all along  
Did you care if it was wrong  
Who's getting warmer now  
That I'm gone_

I stood outside the door to Rukia's room, trying to gather my thoughts. I knew I had to do this, I had no choice but to make things right again. I can't stand the thought of living without her, and I need her with me. I took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door.

"What do you want?" said her voice.

"Rukia…it's me."

She didn't answer.

"Rukia….look. I want to talk to you."

"Go away, Ichigo." She said.

"No," I said as I slid the door open. The room was dark, the moonlight the only source of dim light that hardly swept over the room. Rukia was sitting on the bed with her knees pulled tightly to her chest.

"I said go away!" she said strongly.

"I'm not leaving."

"I don't want to see you."

"I don't give a damn what you want!" I roared, causing her to flinch slightly. "You need to know what really happened that night."

"I know exactly what happened, you idiot!" she said to me with anger.

"I don't think you do, Rukia."

I turned around to see Renji standing in the doorway. Was he actually trying to help me?

"So now you're taking his side, Renji?" Rukia said.

"Yes, I am. Because I know he's innocent, and I know you're letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly." He said to her.

"Rukia, please, just…hear me out, okay? Please…"

She sighed and lowered her knees. "Alright…fine."

"Listen, that night was a huge mistake, I'll admit that, but none of it was my fault. After you left to go to Urahara's, I got a phone call from Orihime saying she had something really important she needed to tell me. I tried to get her to tell me through the phone, but she insisted on coming to see me. Once she got there, she started saying all this weird stuff and confessed things that I really didn't want to know and before I knew it, she was all over me. I tried to push her off, but she wouldn't let go. It was right about then when you walked in…" I explained.

Rukia stared at me with a confused look on her face. "How do I know that you're not lying?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, not ever. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I care too much about you, and I'll be damned if I lose you. I can't imagine my life without you by my side. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, why the hell would I want to let go of all that?" I said, kneeling before her and placing my hand on her cheek.

Rukia's eyes began to swell up with tears, her mouth breaking into a small smile. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?"

"Nothing but the truth." I said to her, wiping her tears away with my thumb.

"Ichigo…" she said before wrapping her arms around me tightly and burying her face in my shoulder.

I held her close to me, gently rubbing her back as she cried into my shoulder. "I love you, Rukia. Please….please forgive me."

She pulled herself away from me and looked me in the eyes and smiled before gently pressing her lips against mine.

"Without you, I'm miserable. I can't imagine my life without you either, and I don't ever want to know what it's like to not have you with me." She said.

"Rukia…" I whispered, stunned because of her words.

"I love you, Ichigo." She said before kissing me again. "And I'm sorry for the way I reacted."

"Just as long as I have you back in my arms, nothing else matters anymore." I said to her, picking her up and carrying her from the room.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Renji asked.

"I'm taking her home. Thank you…Renji. Without your help, none of this would have been fixed." I said to him.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't screw up again." He said, turning away from us.

I smiled and turned my attention back to Rukia. "You ready to go home?"

"You mean back to the closet?" she teased.

"No, tonight you won't be sleeping in the closet."

"Well where else would I possibly sleep?" she asked quizzically.

"I was thinkin' you and I would share a bed tonight." I said.

"W-why? Ichigo, I'm not ready-"

"I didn't' say anything along the lines of that. I just want you in my arms, that's all." I said honestly.

She stared at me, a look of skepticism on her face. "You sure you don't have an ulterior motive?"

"We'll be sleeping, that's all, nothing more." I laughed.

"That better be…" she said, her cheeks turning pink.

"It will be, I promise."

_Misery loves company  
And company loves more  
More loves everybody else  
But hell is others_


End file.
